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Editors’ note: This is the first installment in a three-part series exploring racial issues in gay Atlanta. This week: Saturday night and Sunday morning Part Two: Community organizations Part Three: Beyond black and white. Where do we go from here? Tell us what you think: To respond anonymously, visit www.sovo.com/soundoff
If we can print your name with your response, email editor@sovo.com. |
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HOME > NEWS > LOCAL
By: RYAN LEE
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Spend any weekend in a black gay club in Atlanta, and it’s easy to see why this city is considered a mecca for African-American gay men and lesbians.
Thousands of people cram into every inch of the 14,000-square foot Atlanta Live each Saturday for the party hosted by Traxx, and the wall-to-wall crowd inside the gay bar Bulldogs regularly results in a considerable number of black gay men lining up along Peachtree Street waiting to enter.
A new generation of black gay youth continue to fill Club 708, celebrating their sexual orientation by listening to hip-hop music and competing in J-set dance routines.
But outside these clubs, there are few indicators of Atlanta’s status as a black gay mecca. Most of the city’s major gay political groups, social organizations and community-based institutions have largely white memberships, whether because African Americans choose not to join or their involvement is not recruited effectively.
An unsuccessful attempt to bridge the disconnect that sometimes exists between black gay people and Atlanta’s gay organizations recently brought to the surface long-simmering racial tensions.
Dwight Powell, publisher and editor of Clik, a monthly national magazine for black gay men, offered the Atlanta Pride Committee free advertising in Clik as a way to attract more black gay men to the annual Pride festival in June.
When Atlanta Pride Executive Director Donna Narducci turned down Clik’s proposed sponsorship — saying Pride already had in-kind media sponsors and was desperate for cash donations — Powell sent out an e-mail claiming "the refusal of America’s only national black gay publication lends to the fact that Ms. Narducci really isn’t concerned about reaching out to this demographic."
Powell said this week that he never meant to imply that outright racism motivated Narducci’s decision, but that he believed the incident highlights how attracting black gay men and lesbians is "not a priority for the Atlanta Pride Committee."
"The fact that we had to reach out to them is itself a bit alarming," Powell said. "They don’t have many options to reach African Americans, and they could’ve used our magazine as a vehicle to achieve that."
After Powell went public with his complaints, Narducci reversed her decision, saying she recognized the "intrinsic value" of Pride partnering with Clik. Calling the misunderstanding a "teachable moment," Narducci extended a sponsorship to Clik.
Powell refused, and discussions between the two sides continued without resolution this week.
But Narducci said the misunderstanding between Pride and Clik sparked discussion about the role of race in gay Atlanta.
"I have had many opportunities these past 10 days to have conversations with a lot of folks," she said in an e-mail response to questions. "There is agreement that more work needs to be done in our community to improve race relations, and there are many folks willing to be engaged and do the work."
State Rep. Karla Drenner (D-Avondale Estates), Georgia’s only openly gay state legislator, said she was oblivious to the racial divisions among gay and lesbian Georgians until the summer of 2004, when she led the coalition that unsuccessfully fought a proposed constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.
"On many days, instead of us fighting the marriage amendment, we spent a lot of time figuring out racism in our own community," Drenner said. "The gay community is just a microcosm of society at-large, and one of the largest problems facing our country today is racism.
"I’ve finally come to terms with the fact that until we put an end to racism in our community, we won’t have a movement and our rights are definitely in peril," said Drenner, who added that she always viewed herself as a gay person more than someone who is white.
Every person has a different way of incorporating their racial identity and sexual orientation into their sense of self, said Jane Ivery, an assistant professor in Georgia State University’s School of Social Work.
"What’s sad is people often feel as though they have to choose one over the other," Ivery said. "Often there can be tension with people in terms of which group they identify more with."
Many gay people have a "heightened understanding" of racial sensitivities, but that doesn’t negate all racial bias, Ivery said.
"I think there is a sense that [white gay people] might not see some of their own racism or the way they stereotype people," Ivery said. "They’ll say ‘We’re all gay, we’re all in this together,’ but ...
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